New Ulm weekly review., 1887-02-23


beside her to the spot where Mr. Von-
derbust waited with his new Hambie-
tonian, whose pace they were going to
try together. ESQ
When Bette came back she came
directly to ME where sat on the piaz-
"a with my crocheting. IF you don't
mind going III to lunch with me?" she
said. / didn't understand until after
wards that Twas part Of her role, too.
It gave people pleasant things to say
of her kindness to forlorn old spins
ter, for one thing; but the main thing
I'm afraid if Ihad comprehended it
in the beginning should put an end
to it out OF hand that, quite
innocent and ignorant of it all, was
her chaperon. st is such q misfor-
tune" she said to the right people,
"that my own dear chaperon, who
always takes me about, was obliged
to leave almost as soon as we came:
and Ishould have had to go, too, and
be buried alive somewhere, 1 suppose,
# my dear little Miss Ruggles had not
happened to be here, and she has ta-
ken charge OF me so kindly!" Take
charge of that mink! should as soon
have thought OF taking charge of a
Will-o'-the-wisp.
Now you see what mean when /
say it is necessary here to be always
on evidence. You re forgotten ifyou're
not. Out OF sight, out OF mind. ] am
here to be SEEN Ii / hadn't been sit
ting here with you that absurd little
Vonderbust would't have asked me
to drive, and the others wouldn't all
have gone to pulling caps about wait
ing on me to the dog cart, and Mr..
Dunrobin wonldn't have seen it as he
sat there with his cigar. WhenI have
filled everybody's eyes Mr.. Dunrobin
will begin to see me. So am always
very plainly visible with my train Of
idiots. 0 yes, am as light as froth,
but it's a game as deep as the sea
underneath
"Bettie, I'm ashamed of human
nature when hear you talk
''No occasion" crumbling her bread.
'You wouldn't be ashamed of me if I
were trying to make afortune by what
you call honest labor. Well, if this
isn't labor, I should like to know what
it is.''
'Laborm
'sIt's labor enough, let me assure
you, just to talk to these whipper-
snappers, It's more trouble than it
would be to write book to graduate
your conversation to the level of their
little intelects, if they have any intel
lects-Penhurst, and De Lacy, and
Van Stout, and the whole set. You
have to make believe to each one that
you find him perfectly delightful. If
you're the least atom above his COM
prehension in your talk, or silent, or
slow, good-by; and good-by to one,
goodbye to all. If one sees another
hanging over your chair, he thinks
there's something worth while there,
and he is coming in for his share; but
if he doesn't see any body he is going
where it is plain there is something
the other fellows admire. Do you see?
Here they come; l thought they
would"
She ran into my room one night be-
fore going down in the german, Gam
| all right" she said. "Come down
with me, that's a DEAR
"Why don't you rest tonight" I
asked, not yet aware OF my chaperon-
age.
"Rest!'' she said. Gas if there were
any rest in the middle of campaign!
I'll rest when I'm through"
Bette, I'm afraid"
"What of! That shall fail? Well,
what if I do? Folks have failed before.
And If [ fail, life won't be worth g.
cent, and there's always river you
know"
s'Bettie Bennett! I'll have nothing
more to do with you at all. I think
you are"
Gas bad as bad can be! Then come
down and help me not to fail. I've
got to dance tonight till the last
dance, and take ices and drink cham
pagne with the best of them or the
worst OF them, just as if were to the
manner born. Ii I don't dance the
first dance, then the othere will think
something's up or nobody wants me,
or Pm an old story, and 1 shan t
1lcUfO C1 PcbL OllCL c1Al OllO 1CoU VI OAlO
night It's killing this pace. Do you
think am falling off any?"
"Falling OFF, said I. 'tThere's
nothing to fall off. You'll be the more
piquaalt and taking the more faded
you are. You'll be prettier at 40
than you are at 20. But O, Bette,
you're awfuliy old at 2O!"
"Well, my dress is new. And isn't
it lovely?"
It was a bright gold -colored satin,
fitting like a glove; and with it she
wore a quantity of topazes, and there
was black swan s-down wrap. to be
left on her chair or to pull up if she
were chilly, and set off with it's soft
shadow the perfection OF her perfect
little shape. ''Topazes are cheap
said she. You can buy beauties as
big as the tip of your thumb for $3.50
apiece, in the old country jewelers.
al 1+io8 fhc